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Synonyms

tailings

British  
/ ˈteɪlɪŋz /

plural noun

  1. waste left over after certain processes, such as from an ore-crushing plant or in milling grain

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Twenty-five workers were inside the gold mine when the tailings dam - a structure which holds mining waste - burst on 25 March.

From BBC • Apr. 9, 2026

Miles and miles of refineries and their stinking tailings ponds, adjacent to beach resorts that run on desalination plants.

From Salon • Mar. 17, 2026

“They’re going to look like an Amazon distribution warehouse; there’s no smokestack and massive tailings pond next to it.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 11, 2026

They examined levels of cadmium, chromium, copper, nickel, and lead, metals linked to iron oxides, which are the primary component of the tailings.

From Science Daily • Feb. 17, 2026

I rode my bike down to the shop every day after school to inspect how he was doing and sweep up the tailings at the machines, anything to assist.

From "October Sky" by Homer Hickam

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.